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Books for newly fluent independent readers often have great pace (to entice just one more page turn) and lovely characterization (encouraging growing kids to explore their own unfurling wings), but books for this age group with turns of phrases and fine, fine threads of words which make your heart sing are quite unusual.
And yet, Mango & Bambang: Tapir All at Sea written by Polly Faber (@Pollylwh) and illustrated by Clara Vulliamy (@ClaraVulliamy) has all of this, plus buckets more. Illustrated on every spread with immense charm, humour and warmth, and with an overall design to make small hands hug it close to their heart, this little hardback is everything you’d dream of, if trying to come up with something to foster an association of sheer joy and enchantment with books.
Mango Allsorts and her best friend Bambang (a friend who just happens to be a tapir) are looking for a new hobby, and would you believe it, but it turns out that after failures with ballet and baking, flamenco dancing hits the spot.
Bambang, however, doesn’t get the chance to attend many lessons before an escapade involving climbing trees (there’s nothing a tapir can’t do when it comes to snaffling cake), a diamond engagement ring and a devious neighbour result in Bambang being put behind bars, not just once, but twice! Will the friends be able to use Bambang’s new dancing prowess and Mango’s clever problem-solving skills to save the day? Or could it be that their very partnership is put in peril as a result of Bambang’s newly discovered skill?
Joyous, open-hearted and very funny, these tales of Mango and Bambang are simply brilliant. A charismatic exploration of friendship, with a dash of quirkiness and oodles of wit, along with endearing illustrations (reminding me of Joyce Lankester Brisley and her Milly Molly Mandy books) that really draw out the beauty of the stories, Mango & Bambang: Tapir All at Sea is utterly delightful. My girls and I are really hoping that this second set of tales featuring Mango and Bambang won’t be the last.
***********************
If you spend any time at all hanging out with Clara Vulliamy you’ll very quickly learn that she is the Queen of Secret Haberdashery Supplies. I know of no other author or illustrator who has such an eye for beautiful ribbons, notions and buttons. With this in mind the girls and I wanted to create something Mango and Bambang-y which Clara herself (and, of course, Polly too) might enjoy making and thus we came up with the idea of designing flamenco costumes. This quickly developed into puppets of Mango, Bambang and friends all dress up in flamenco finery.
Creating your own Museum of the Unusual. Of course, I wouldn’t encourage you to be as mean as Dr Cynthia Prickly-Posset, but starting a collection of things you find weird and wonderful (without resorting to stealing them from your neighbours!) is a fun idea. Maybe your museum will be full of strange shaped stones, or bizarre things you’ve found down the back of the sofa… If you’re looking for some display ideas for your museum, you might find inspiration in past museums we’ve created here, here and here
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Well this is simply the Best Thing Ever obviously! Thank you Zoe and team for putting an enormous smile on my face, setting my toes tapping and sending me to raid my (rather inadequate in comparison to a *certain* CV’s) ribbon drawer. Delighted to confirm that further adventures for M&B coming in September this year and more in 2017 too I hope. Also, how CLEVER of you to spot the uncanny likeness between Bambang and Joaquin Cortes- he *may* have been quite an essential literary muse…
Zoe said, on 3/17/2016 8:14:00 AM
OH I am SO pleased to hear that there are more adventures in story for Mango and Bambang – we shall look forward to them immensely
Simone Fraser said, on 3/17/2016 3:07:00 PM
Such a glorious, joy-filled post! Thanks so much, yet again, Zoe.
Note that you don't HAVE to use them as finger puppets, but can use them as stand-up puppets. Another option: taping the characters onto popsicle sticks.
Tip for children's book creators who want to create their own finger puppet paper templates:
- Test them out ahead of time! I experimented with several designs until I found ones I was happy with.
- Aim for puppets that can stand up on their own when assembled, just in case young readers prefer to use them that way.
- If possible, have heads cut separately from the cylinder part of the puppet (see my Girl and Spencer puppet as examples). That way puppets will look more like play-able characters than just cylinders of paper.
Suggestions for teachers, librarians and parents on how to use these puppets:
- After reading I'm Bored or Where Are My Books?, have students come up with their own storytelling ideas. Come up with a new adventure for the characters!
- Using paper and scissors or other materials, have students come up with scenery or props to help them in their storytelling.
- Students can experiment with different voices for different characters. How would YOU do the Potato voice, for example?
- Turn a table with sturdy legs on one side for a makeshift puppet theater. Or cut a window into one side of a large cardboard box. OR just get rid of the physical puppet theatre idea altogether and have students perform out in the open.
- Finger puppets can be useful for those students who are especially shy or insecure about public speaking.
- Have students create their own puppets based on characters from books they are reading. Instead of worrying about finger sizes etc., just have them draw small (I suggest an 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper folded into quarters) characters, cut them out, and stick them onto popsicle sticks.
Do you have other ideas on how to use puppets in the classroom? Do you have finger puppet templates related to children's books you'd like to share? Please post below!
ALSC encourages participants to sign up for Fall 2015 ALSC online courses. Registration is open for all courses. Classes begin Monday, September 14, 2015.
One of the courses being offered this semester is eligible for continuing education units (CEUs). The American Library Association (ALA) has been certified to provide CEUs by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options. For more information on ALSC online learning, please visit: www.ala.org/alsced
Storytelling with Puppets
4 weeks, September 14 – October 9, 2015, CEU Certified Course, 2.2 CEUs
Instructor: Steven Engelfried, Youth Services Librarian, Wilsonville Public Library
The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future
6 weeks, September 14 – October 23, 2015
Instructor: KT Horning, Director, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin- Madison
Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC website at www.ala.org/alsced. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Program Officer for Continuing Education, Kristen Sutherland at [email protected] or 1 (800) 545-2433 ext 4026.
Summer Reading Club is winding down and as I look at the list of programs our branch libraries have hosted, I am impressed with the fantastic array of choices. For a rural library system, we’ve got the arts covered! From Musical Zoo (two musicians take a big box of instruments and let kids go wild), to marionette shows to photography and crafts, the arts are alive and well in our little libraries.
Backstage at the puppet show – photo by Angela Reynolds
This summer we hosted a touring marionette show. This stood out for a few reasons — one, this show was visiting from Quebec, and we’d never seen it in Nova Scotia. Two girls I spoke to at a show in our area had never been to a live puppet show before! I helped organize the tour, which went to pretty much every cove and cranny of our little province. The puppeteer stayed a couple of nights at our house, and we had some great conversations about the arts and public libraries. He told me how much he loved performing at libraries, and how much he appreciated the fact that libraries still believe in things like puppet shows and storytelling. He mentioned that there’s something special going on in libraries these days- libraries are a community place that people feel good about.
Now I know this sounds like something I talked him into saying. I wish I’d had a tape recorder because it would have made a great advertisement for what we do in our libraries. Not only do we provide great programming that allows kids to explore their artistic side, we also support the artists who create great programs for kids and families. We do workshops for librarians so they can expand their horizons in the arts. We host music concerts, art workshops, craft programs, theatre demonstrations, and so much more! What do YOU do in your libraries to support the arts — and the artists?
Summer has a way of sneaking up on you, doesn’t it? ALSC is giving you a little extra time to get ready for our new semester of online courses. Registration is open for all courses. Classes begin Monday, July 13, 2015.
Two of the courses being offered this semester are eligible for continuing education units (CEUs) by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options. For more information on ALSC online learning, please visit: http://www.ala.org/alsced
Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC Online Learning website. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Program Officer for Continuing Education, Kristen Sutherland, 1 (800) 545-2433 ext 4026.
April is coming up and ALSC has a bundle of great learning opportunities. From online courses to webinars, ALSC has a learning choice that fits your budget!
Online Courses
Explore new ideas and great library thinking with ALSC online courses! ALSC is offering four great options including three CEU-certified courses. All courses are offered asynchronously (self-directed) meaning you won’t need to logon at a specific time. Learn new youth library-specific skills at a pace that’s comfortable and convenient. Courses start Monday, April 6, 2015.
Because life in a library moves fast, ALSC webinars are the perfect solution for someone who wants and needs educational information but doesn’t have a lot of time or resources. These short (one to two hour) interactive sessions taking place in Adobe Connect give librarians and library support staff the opportunity to learn right at their desks.
Missed a webinar you wanted to attend? Don’t worry! ALSC presents archived versions of webinars, which are offered at a discounted price. Archived webinars cost only $25. Please note that recorded versions are not available until all of the live sessions of that webinar have taken place.
Explore new ideas and great library thinking with ALSC online courses! ALSC is offering four great options including three CEU-certified courses. All courses are offered asynchronously (self-directed) meaning you won’t need to logon at a specific time. Learn new youth library-specific skills at a pace that’s comfortable and convenient. Courses start Monday, April 6, 2015.
Because life in a library moves fast, ALSC webinars are the perfect solution for someone who wants and needs educational information but doesn’t have a lot of time or resources. These short (one to two hour) interactive sessions taking place in Adobe Connect give librarians and library support staff the opportunity to learn right at their desks.
Missed a webinar you wanted to attend? Don’t worry! ALSC presents archived versions of webinars, which are offered at a discounted price. Archived webinars cost only $25. Please note that recorded versions are not available until all of the live sessions of that webinar have taken place.
Know what makes for happy holidays? The encouragement and enthusiasm of learning alongside your peers in an ALSC online course.
Registration is now open for the winter 2015 ALSC online course season. Topics include children with disabilities, STEM programming, using puppets, and storytime. Classes start Monday, January 5, 2015.
Three of the courses being offered this semester are eligible for continuing education units (CEUs). The American Library Association (ALA) has been certified to provide CEUs by the IACET. ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options. For more information on ALSC online learning, please visit: http://www.ala.org/alsced
Storytime Tools
4 weeks, January 5 — January 30, 2015
CEU Certified Course, 2 CEUs
Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC Online Learning site. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Program Officer for Continuing Education, Kristen Sutherland or 1 (800) 545-2433 ext 4026.
It will be once January rolls around and what a perfect time to refresh your library programs! ALSC online courses are a great way to introduce new ideas and energy into your programs and services. Registration is now open for the winter 2015 ALSC online course season. Classes start Monday, January 5, 2015.
Three of the courses being offered this semester are eligible for continuing education units (CEUs). The American Library Association (ALA) has been certified to provide CEUs by the IACET. ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options. For more information on ALSC online learning, please visit: http://www.ala.org/alsced
Storytime Tools
4 weeks, January 5 – January 30, 2015
CEU Certified Course, 2 CEUs
Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC Online Learning site. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Program Officer for Continuing Education, Kristen Sutherland or 1 (800) 545-2433 ext 4026.
This fall, get back into the swing of professional development. A brand-new semester of ALSC online courses is now open for registration. Classes begin Monday, Sept. 8, 2014.
Registrants will find that ALSC has increased the number of courses offering certified education units (CEUs). The American Library Association (ALA) has been certified to provide CEUs by the IACET. Courses include:
Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC website at www.ala.org/alsced. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Program Officer for Education, Kristen Sutherland, 1-800-545-2433 ext 4026.
I'm in the process of creating some new activity pages to coincide with my latest book that is coming out in a few weeks. But I felt like this weekend was a perfect time for this super simple rabbit puppet. Just download the free PDF and cut out the face and hands and glue them to a paper lunch sack. Ta da! a bunny rabbit for Easter.
Download the PDF here...
0 Comments on Bunny Rabbit Paper Bag Puppet as of 4/18/2014 11:35:00 PM
"Clara slept. Never in her life had she known so dense a sleep; a sleep without dreaming, without the slightest twitch of finger or eyelid. She was as lifeless as a pressed flower. If she had been awake, she could not have said whether her eyes were open or shut. Her mind was empty, freed from guilt and terror and grief. Only the night before, she had spoken of her fear of cold and darkness; now darkness and cold claimed her, and she was not afraid."
Overview: It is November the sixth, in Victorian London, and Clara Wintermute is turning twelve. To her delight, her father has reluctantly consented to hire the mysterious street performer, Professor Grisini and His Venetian Fantoccini, into their home as her party entertainment.
Yet when the puppetmaster finally arrives, it is his two orphaned assistants, almost-fourteen-year-old Lizzie Rose and probably-eleven-year-old Parsefall, that Clara is most excited to see. Clara thinks their lives must be grand - free from studies, able to perform marionette shows for people out in the open air. Lizzie Rose and Parsefall think Clara's life must be grand - only child of a wealthy household, indulged by her parents, provided with a fine education. But all three children soon find that all is not as they supposed. Clara vanishes late that evening, with the dark and secretive Grisini pegged as her probable kidnapper. When Grisini suddenly goes missing not long after, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall fear he does indeed have something to do with Clara's disappearance. And soon, they find themselves on an unexpected and dangerous quest to find her.
For Teachers and Librarians: Splendors and Glooms is a book that will both hold your students' interest, and provide you with plenty of ways to incorporate the book into a variety of lessons.
It fits nicely into a lesson on literary genres - take your pick of gothic novel, historical fiction, mystery, dark fairy tale, and/or even thriller. And with the magic aspects, vivid dreams, and Lizzie Rose's uncanny sense of smell, you could even argue it touches just a bit if not more so on the edges of paranormal.
The book contains two overlapping stories that eventually converge at a crucial point: after discussion, have your students demonstrate their understanding of this graphically, via Venn Diagram.
Another idea: the author's favorite writer is Charles Dickens, and the book is often described as Dickensian - which leads nicely into a lesson on characteristics of a Dickensian novel, and identification of those characteristics in this book.
During an interview in the Baltimore Sun, the author discusses her interest in Faustian bargains as part of a novel: have your students research and define the term, and then identify the Faustian bargain(s) in this book - who made one, what were the terms, how did things turn out for that character, etc.
You could include the book in a unit on Victorian London: compare/contrast life for rich vs poor, discussing how children fared in each; talk about Victorian mourning customs; have your students research diseases and treatments from that era, with a focus on cholera (which touches Clara's family in a heartbreaking way); plan a lesson on types of entertainment enjoyed during that time period, with a mini-unit on marionette shows and puppetry.
If you have other lesson ideas, feel free to share them in the comments section below. For Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers: Make sure your kiddos don't have anywhere to be before you hand them Splendors and Glooms, or when it's time to go, you may hear repeated cries of, "Wait! I just have to finish this part first!" It is a book full of mystery, suspense and magic that will keep them wanting to turn pages - but not too quickly. There is much to take in, and they'll want to take their time to make sure they experience it all. Your young readers will feel for the characters as they navigate the well-meaning yet at times very misunderstood bonds of family, as they work to establish and maintain friendships, as they learn to recognize and trust those people in their lives who prove themselves true and genuine, and as they struggle to find their true place in the world. For the Kids: Splendors and Glooms isn't your average, run-of-the-mill book with magic in it. Nope. It has the kind of magic that you have to really pay attention to see. It hides from you, but hints at you. It peeks out from behind the corners, or ducks behind the couch just as you catch a glimpse of it, so that you can't help but chase it around because you just have to know what's going on. At the same time, maybe you're a teensy bit scared to catch up to it - though you'd never admit it - because that magic may or may not be evil. So you read the book. And you keep reading, shivering a little sometimes, peeking through the cracks between the fingers you've clamped over your eyes at other times, and giggling here and there in between, 'cause you just have to know what's going on, and how it all turns out. No matter how long it takes.
Clara is a twelve-year-old rich girl living in Victorian London who seems to have it all in the eyes of almost-fourteen-year-old Lizzie Rose and probably-eleven-year-old Parsefall. Lizzie Rose and Parsefall are assistant puppeteers who seem to live a free and easy life in the eyes of Clara. Each longs for the life of the other, for different reasons. But each of them has secrets and griefs and guilt and fears that none of the others know about. Throw in an evil puppetmaster and a doomed and vengeful witch, and you've got the makings of a book that you Will. Not. Put. Down.
For Everyone Else: What can I say about Splendors and Glooms that I haven't already said? Probably plenty. But no matter what your age, if what I've said so far isn't enough to entice you to read this thoroughly wonderful novel, maybe the section below is:
Wrapping Up: Splendors and Gloomsis the type of book a reader wants to linger over. With an abundance of rich description, many twists and turns, suspense, mystery, touches of humor, a goodly dose of good vs evil in many forms, and variety of very real and strong and relatable emotions, to rush the read means to miss far too much. And not to read it at all would just be a terrible shame. So go. Get the book. Then grab a blanket, curl up on the couch, and start reading.
Title: Splendors and Glooms Author: Laura Amy Schlitz Jacket Illustration: Bagram Ibatoulline Pages: 400 Reading Level: Ages 9 and up Publisher and Date: Candlewick Press, 2012 Edition: 1st Edition Language: English Published In: United States Price: $17.99 ISBN-10: 0763653802 ISBN-13: 978-0-7636-5380-4
2 Comments on Book Review: Splendors and Glooms, by Laura Amy Schlitz, last added: 12/14/2012
This week we feature the wonderful illustrator Barbara Johansen Newman. Barbara has been illustrating professionally for more than 20 years. She’s done art for books, art for magazines and newspaper articles, art for calendars and advertising, greeting cards, corporate reports, medical reports, and invitations.
For the ten years before she was an illustrator, she worked with puppets and created figurative fiber sculptures which she has exhibited at shows and galleries around the country.
She holds B.F.A. in Art and a ceritificate in Art Education. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband Phil, her three sons, Dave, Mike, and Ben and her dog Bitty (in picture on left).
Here is a picture of Barbara’s studio.
When Barbara paints big, she uses antique dough boards. I asked about them and Barbara said, “They are large slabs of wood, usually one single plank wide, probably cut from old growth trees, mostly of pine. They are also called “noodle boards.” Women used them for kneading dough for bread and noodles of sorts. They are often fairly large–20 by 28 or more. Some have lips that hung over the edges of tables to make them more stable.”
I like painting on them and have purchased them whenever I can find them at a reasonable price.
This is the first color illustration assignment Barbara ever got–a piece on Turkey farms for Boston Magazine back in the 80s.
Tell us a little bit about the puppets and dolls you did right out of college. Where the puppets marionettes? What materials did you use to make the dolls?
While I was still in college I met Lois Bohevesky and with her and Frieda Gates I spent a summer studying puppetry and puppet making at the Bil Baird Theatre in New York. (it is no longer there) I learned to make and operate hand puppets, rod puppets, and marionettes. That course planted the seed of a love of puppetry and everything puppet related. By summer’s end my future husband had built us a portable stage that could be used to do small shows. We packed up our rented van and moved to Buffalo, where we had transferred for our fall semester in college to be together. I posted puppet show flyers in different places and somehow we began to get calls and jobs from out of nowhere to do puppet shows all around the Buffalo area.
The big change in our lives came when we were hired to perform at a craft show. Instead of paying us a full fee, we took a table to sell puppets, because I had discovered that I loved making them as much as performing with them (actually more). After that show we were hired for othe
5 Comments on lustrator Saturday – Barbara Johansen Newman, last added: 7/16/2012
Love this article and your work!! Especially the lady with the chicken glasses, and the two girls with ALL those glasses to choose from!!
That Bil Baird you speak of was the producer of the marionettes in The Sound of Music!! So cool that you could do that!! (I love puppetry, too!)
“If you create stories that are true to the person you are and true to what you love, it will show in the art.” So true.
Thanks for sharing…Barb
Christine McIntyre-Hannon said, on 7/14/2012 7:04:00 PM
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. It was quite inspiring!
MaryZ said, on 7/14/2012 7:37:00 PM
Congrats, Barbara, on this major retrospective. Wish I could be a fly on your desk lamp watching you work in photoshop with your cintiq. It’s a foreign concept to me.
Jan Kozlowski said, on 7/14/2012 7:40:00 PM
LOVE Barb’s work! Great interview, Kathy!
Marcia Lynch said, on 7/16/2012 11:21:00 AM
Dear Barbara,
Dreams DO come true!!! Wonderful interview~~beautifully done~~~congrats all around!!!!!
Lots of love,
Marcia & Dennis and kids
Pretty Dolls by Kimberly Dana, a finalist in the Children’s Picture Book category at the 2011 Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest, is a delightful story about overcoming jealousy and the love a girl can share with her special doll, no matter what she looks like.
Little Tasha has several dolls, but her favorites are Emily-Nicole and Gracie.
Emily-Nicole is the most beautiful of all, with porcelain skin, silky red hair and turquoise-blue eyes. She spends most of her days perched on the top bookshelf case with the other beautiful dolls.
Unlike Emily-Nicole, Gracie has tufts of brown hair (from when Tasha played hairdresser), purple eyes (from when she played artist), and a missing arm. She’s not at all beautiful like Emily-Nicole. But Tasha loves her because she’s the snuggliest of all and that’s why she always carries her around.
Unbeknown to Tasha, once she’s deeply sound asleep in the quiet of the night, Emily-Nicole, jealous of Tasha and Gracie’s closeness, starts making fun of Gracie and calling her cruel names. The other pretty dolls giggle and together they mock:
Pretty eyes and pretty hair. We’re the best dolls anywhere. If you were a pretty doll, you’d be up here standing tall.
Night after night the banter continues. As Emily-Nicole becomes more and more jealous, she turns increasingly cruel. Her heart becomes just as cold and porcelain-like as her beautiful face. Deep inside, though, she suffers. She would like to be the one to snuggle up with Tasha instead of standing on the shelf all day and night. She just can’t understand why Tasha prefers Gracie when Gracie is so ugly compared to her.
11 Comments on Children’s Author Kimberly Dana Pens Story of Dolls, Jealousy and Friendship, last added: 2/28/2012
Isn't that just the cutest cover! Mayra, you know much I love it when I see authors promoting other authors! (-:
Best, Carolyn Howard-Johnson Excited about the new edition (expanded! updated! even more helpful for writers!) of The Frugal Book Promoter, now a USA Book News award-winner in its own right (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo)
I have a thing for puppets and these guys are just too cute. This little piggy and cow were needle felted by Laura Lee Burch. Makes me want to try needle felting again but alas I'll just end up stabbing my fingers.
0 Comments on Adorable Felt Pig and Cow Puppets as of 1/1/1900
Last June I blogged about a great radio site for listening to interviews with professional magicians, called The Magic Broadcast. (You can read the post here.) The Magic Broadcast is hosted by Steve Johnson, a local (Sacramento area) magician, who owns the fabulous magic shop in Carmichael, Grand Illusions. This shop has everything that would interest a budding magician: Books, tricks, costumes, juggling lessons, puppets. . . . For those of you in the general area, you can read reviews of the shop and get driving directions here.
But I'm personally excited, because on Monday this week, Steve interviewed ME on his magic broadcast station. Normally his interviews are with professional magicians, like Lee Asher. Why me? Because I wrote a book that featured a fictious local magician, and Steve was interested in how tips on fiction writing could translate into the story patter all good magicians use in order to fool audiences with their tricks.
It was an enjoyable interview for me. I always love talking about writing, but I've never had to think about how writing might pertain to a magician's performance. The more I thought about it, the more parallels I could see. You can listen to the interview here. Just scroll on down to November 28th interview, and click the play button.
There was an added enjoyment for me when Steve told me that the magician in my book was believable. I'm used to people telling me the kids in the story are believable, but I was especially pleased to hear that about the magician as well.
Which brings me to the book itself. The story takes place over Christmas vacation, so this is a good time for eight-to-twelve-year-olds who like magic to get this for a Christmas present.
13 Comments on Do You Believe In Magic?, last added: 12/6/2011
How exciting for you Elizabeth. Not only the interview but to be told by such an expert your magician was believable. Good for you! Your book sounds great. Will have to check it out, even though I don't have anyone in that age group!
Ooh Elizabeth! How exciting for you! You must have had so much fun...I love magic, always wished I could transport myself to other places whenever I wanted. Cleopatra's Egypt perhaps? xx Tee
How fun and exciting. I remember as a kid I just had to have this magic set and I was so happy when I received it as a gift. It had really cool tricks. :)
With Thanksgiving a few days away, it’s time to think about (reaching teens and collegians during the holiday shopping season with well targeted messaging. Kohl’s gets it right with a hilarious take on Rebecca Black’s... Read the rest of this post
With the arrival of the new Muppet movie, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Beaker, and our other felt friends are everywhere. There’s no escaping Jim Henson’s creations, and few of us would want to (unless the movie happens to suck, which is doubtful, given the stewardship of Jason Segel, who showed major Muppet mojo in the heartbreaking and spit-taking Forgetting Sarah Marshall). It’s a good time to look at the history of the word Muppet, which has some meanings that would make the Swedish Chef bork with outrage.
Thanks to interviews with Muppet creator Jim Henson, we know Muppet is not a blend of marionette and puppet, though that theory has been appearing since 1959, just four years after Henson invented the crew, who appeared in pre-Sesame Street and Muppet Show fare such as commercials for Wilkins coffee. I love this part of the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of Muppet: “Any of a number of humorously grotesque glove puppets.” That phrasing seems humorously grotesque itself, but if it helps a Martian understand a Muppet, I guess it’s worthwhile.
In the eighties, the word took on several meanings. Since 1983, a muppet has been “A lure made to resemble a young squid.” I don’t want to give my enemies (arch or mortal) any ideas, but since calamari is squid, I’m pretty sure this kind of muppet could lure me anywhere. In British prison slang, a muppet is “A prisoner with psychiatric problems; a vulnerable inmate liable to be bullied or harassed by others.” As this 1998 use shows, Muppets aren’t the only Henson creation to carry this meaning: “Their favourite targets are the fraggles, the nonces and the muppets. But anyone showing tell-tale signs of fear is a target for Britain’s jail bullies.”
A muppet can also be an idiot, though I have no idea why, since the Muppets are among the least idiotic members of the puppet community (Elmo excluded). However, this part of the OED’s definition sort of rings true: “someone enthusiastic but inept; a person prone to mishaps through naivety.” With the exception of curmudgeons (RIP Andy Rooney) such as Oscar, Statler, and Waldorf, the Muppets are brimming with optimism from their pieholes to their puppetholes. Green’s Dictionary of Slang also has examples of muppet meaning a child or a cop.
These Muppet meanderings are similar to the meanings smurf has taken on over the years. While most know Smurfs as blue elves with a disturbingly low female population, other smurfs or smurfers make smurf dope: blue crystal meth. A smurf is also “an inexperienced or short prison officer,” as Green’s puts it, and a gay man who’s youngish and blonde. Plus, smurf is one of the most awesome euphemisms for the f-word in the known universe, as seen in words like clustersmurf, mothersmurfer, ratsmurf, and fan-smurfing-tastic. If I didn’t know better, I’d think smurf has an acronymic origin, like fubar and milf. Despite the PG origin, something about smurf feels blue in the naughty sense.
When a word is as fun to say as Smurf or Muppet, there’s no stopping how people will use it. Now that the Muppets are back, who knows what this mega-appealing word will soon describe? I have no idea, but let me suggest a meaning, Urban Dictionary-style, that I’ve used and suspect others use: “A harmless, lovable person.” I used this sense when I called my friend Neil a Muppet a few years ago, as Neil was stuck giving a presentation that typically made students reach for pitchforks and torches. This pernicious presentation made presenters long for a force field, or at least student-proof chicken wire. In calling Neil a Muppet, I
0 Comments on Fake squid, psychiatric patients, and other Muppet meanings as of 1/1/1900
We begin this week with something extraordinary. A book trailer that looks like a movie trailer (no real surprises there) but that includes so many specific details to its book that you’re half inclined to think that the movie version already exists. Super 8’s actor Joel Courtney stars in trailer for The Dragon’s Tooth by ND Wilson. What’s funny about it is that its locations are eerily perfect, the scenes amazing, and yet it has one aspect that makes me sad. You see, the hero of this book and his sister are dark skinned. Yet here you can see that they’re pretty darn white. To be fair this is entirely due to the fact that Mr. Courtney is friends with Mr. Wilson’s kids and that’s how he got the part. Still . . . sigh. Ditto the fact that an elderly woman from the book now appears to be 45. Perhaps elderly actresses are difficult to find sometimes? But aside from all that this is a remarkable piece of work. Maybe the best movie-like book trailer I’ve ever seen. Little wonder since it was directed by the author himself! If that whole writing books thing doesn’t work out, I can see a second career ready and waiting. Thanks to Heather Wilson for the link.
Along similar lines is this trailer for Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone. When you’ve been following an author since day one, there’s an instinct to claim them. I loved Ms. Taylor when she wrote her Faeries of Dreamdark books back in the day. Now she’s hugely popular and I feel very possessive of her. With a whopping 50,000+ views (holy moses!) this next video is not as sophisticated as Wilson’s, but it has its own ineffable charm, no?
A very different kind of book trailer involves the recent winner of The Society of Illustrator’s Original Art gold medal. I daresay that this is the first time in my own recollection that a nonfiction title has won the award (and from National Geographic at that!). And I can think of no better way to see the art than this little video right here:
Gorgeous. Thanks to Jules Danielson for the link!
If I hadn’t begun with all those book trailers I probably would have begun with this glimpse of the staged production of How to Train Your Dragon in Australia. Because when it comes to stage puppetry, you ain’t never NEVER seen nuthin’ like this:
What is the most important award that you have received? What one do you value most?
People often ask that question.
Although I value all of the awards, honors, selections, and complimentary reviews that I have received on my books and periodical publications, the ones that mean the most, bring the greatest joy, are the simple ones that show me that I have accomplished what I set out to do.
Before I start working on a book, I ask myself, “Why am I writing this book? What do I hope to accomplish?”
As examples, I often give the school appearance that I made many years ago to a class that had spent most of the semester learning to read the series of books I had created to help children learn to read. And now, most recently, I’ve added a school appearance to a class where I spoke several years ago and demonstrated “The Little Ghost” marionette from the book, Storytelling Discoveries: Favorite Activities for Young Tellers.
Night after night Bunting the old toy cat calls the register, counts the toys, makes them do their exercises and checks for signs of wear and tear before lecturing his fellow exhibits on the museum’s history.
Marble Floor at the Museum of Childhood. Photo: V&A Museum of Childhood
But toys are made for playing, for having fun!
And so one night Bunting’s audience breaks rank. The toys run away, enticing poor old perplexed Bunting into a game of Hot or Cold, which despite its perils, ends up being rather a pleasure. And although it seems likely that Bunting will never manage to relinquish all his sense of responsibility and need for order, night times in the museum are going to be a whole lot more adventurous and enjoyable from now on!
First and foremost for me is the tremedous beauty of David Lucas’ illustrations, full of pattern and colour. Then there’s the story which is perfectly pitched for the youngest listeners to enjoy with its simple text and pared down plot (although I’ve also read it to classes of 6 and 7 year olds and they’ve loved it too, going off at break time to play their own games of Hot and Cold). I love the fact that the toys, even though they are museum exhibits, want to play and have fun – exactly what toys should be all about (unlike the nasty dolls in the exhibition in Rumer Godden’s The Dolls’ House who simply want to be admired), and I’m utterly entranced by the fact that all the characters which appear in Lost in the Toy Museum are based on real exhibits in the Museum of Childhood; I can’t wait to take my girls to the museum with this book and play o
5 Comments on What happens after dark in the toy museum?, last added: 6/18/2011
This sounds great and I love the theme of toys coming to life. It’s one I want to think more about. I didn’t know Laurie Berkner had a toy museum song!
Here in NYC the New York Historical Society has as part of its permanent exhibit a toy exhibit. It’s amazing, but better-suited to adults or older children. The toys are definitely not for playing with! Even in Australia recently posted..All Things in Moderation
Anamaria Anderson said, on 6/16/2011 6:21:00 PM
Oh, this is right up my alley–toys AND museums! We missed the Museum of Childhood on our trip to London (there was so much to see and do) and will have to seek out a toy museum stateside. I do hope this book will be published in the US, too! Anamaria Anderson recently posted..Books that Cook- The Runaway Wok
Zoe said, on 6/17/2011 1:26:00 AM
Thanks Isil – we were lucky to have such a nice red box to start with, but otherwise it was really straight forward to make.
Susan Stephenson, the Book Chook said, on 6/17/2011 3:26:00 AM
As usual, such a lovely lot of learning and creating goes on in your home, Zoe! Puppets and literature are such a perfect link, to me, and go hand-in-(er)-glove! Susan Stephenson, the Book Chook recently posted..Childrens Book Review- The Great Expedition
Sandy Brehl said, on 6/17/2011 5:42:00 AM
I’ll be looking for this here “across the pond”. I was surprised to see the Amazonia list did not include two of my favorites:
Toys Go Out, Being the Adventures of a Knowledgable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic (Emily Jenkins/Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky)
and the sequel- Toy Dance Party.
The idea that those little toys each have strongly developed personalities is so-o-o appealing! Thanks for the note!
Come gather round me children and hear the tale I tell.
Cute goose, right? Well I don’t usually recount stories from my workplace, it being all marbley and imposing and such, but this is a good story. It involves a goose rescue mission, Long Island City, and Brian Selznick, not necessarily in that order. I explain.
In 2006 I was a new blogger, a relatively new children’s librarian, and I became acquainted with a new (at that point) British author. Her name was Frances Hardinge and she had recently published her first novel Fly By Night on either side of the Atlantic. I instantly fell in love with the book, not least because it featured a homicidal goose. All books, I have come to expect, would benefit from the simple addition of a homicidal goose. In any case, back then NYPL had big meetings of children’s librarians where we’d swap ideas for readalouds and booktalks. And I got it into my head that the best possible way to do a Fly By Night booktalk would be with a goose puppet.*
One problem: They don’t exist. Or rather, nice ones don’t. At the time of my brilliant notion the goose pickings were slim. I managed to find images of a really lovely gander from Folkmanis, but sadly it was out of stock (never, I now see, to return). So in a fit of pique I wrote in December of 2006:
“By the way, anyone that procures for me an Out of Stock Folkmanis goose puppet wins my heart, my mind, and any other intangible parts of my self they wish to lay claim to. I’d love to do some booktalking with my very own Saracen on my arm. Can’t you imagine me talking to kids as the goose hisses like a veritable fiend at them?”
So Brian Selznick sent me a goose puppet.
This is actually true. Some of you may be aware of Mr. Selznick’s puppet connections. He’s been active in the puppet scene for years, and has accumulated a couple here and there. The goose, however, had been a kind of gift. As he wrote me:
“When I was working on The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins I was bitten by a goose in the park where the dinosaurs still stand in London. A bookseller gave me this goose puppet in honor of that somewhat painful incident.”
Brian didn’t need the goose, and when he read my plea on my blog (I had made him a Hot Man of Children’s Literature the previous March) he was inspired to lend me a hand. This is because he is a stand up fella.
So I had me a Selznick goose on my hands! And it really is a lovely thing. So downy and white. My regular storytime puppet is a Folkmanis white mouse named Basil that cannot be beat for sheer expressiveness (proof here) but Saracen the goose turned out to have his own charms. And so we were happy for a time. Until 2008 rolled around, that is.
In 2008 the Donnell branch of New York Public Library was sold. Every part of the enormous library had to vacate, including the Central Children’s Room. We’d had five children’s librarians working in a large children’s room doing all kinds of programs for fun. Now we had three and we needed to go live elsewhere. Fortunately, we landed at the main branch of NYPL where, from 1911 to 1970, the room had existed in the first place! Score!
In the course of packing up we hired a set of movers who, I must say, did a splendid job. And here is where the story takes a b
5 Comments on Saracen, Selznick, and the Goose That Almost Wasn’t, last added: 5/19/2011
You know, you kind of gave away the ending to this story by posting that first pic of A Very Gravid Bird holding the now-found homicidal goose. So glad there was a happy resolution.
Brooke Shirts said, on 5/18/2011 9:28:00 AM
Oh, wow. That is one cute baby belly you have there.
I’m imagining the storeroom in Long Island looking a lot like the final scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Only with more cool toys.
Mike Lewis said, on 5/18/2011 9:39:00 AM
Just shared that story with my 4th graders. Obviously, we’re huge Selznick fans (Hugo Cabret was our read aloud for mysteries!)
Here’s what they had to say.
“Sounded like a wild goose chase.”
“The effort seemed totally worth it (maybe, as long as three years in a box doesn’t turn it into homicidal goose puppet.”
“We would love to hear what that homicidal goose puppet says.”
“That’s cool that Brian Selznick is into puppets.”
“We can’t believe you went that far out of your way to rescue a goose puppet!!! Quack, Quack, Gobble, Gobble.”
Elizabeth Bird said, on 5/18/2011 9:45:00 AM
I did sort of give away the ending, true, but only if you know that I am pregnant and that the picture was recent for that reason. Otherwise this could have easily been taken 3 years ago, right?
And Brooke, it’s exactly like that. Only air- conditioned.
I shall now refer to the goose solely as The Homicidal Goose Puppet. Has a nice ring to it.
Vietnamese Water Puppetry is an ages old art in Vietnam. It's traditions are closely tied to the rural culture and agricultural civilization of rice planting by Vietnamese peasants. The mechanics of the puppets are hidden under the water. Different effects are achieved by the movement of the puppets, water and fire (like a fire breathing dragon).
According to Vietnamese Artwork: "The puppets are all hand made and hand painted in Vietnam. Each puppet has different function. The old water puppets are special because they all have ages and performance histories. They have been in the shows in many countries. The big water puppets are made of solid wood and covered by lacquer. Each big puppet is a beautiful wood sculpture and painting work. They all have the signature of the artist. Modern, water puppetry is performed in a pool of water with the water surface being the stage. The puppeteers stand behind a screen and control the puppets using long bamboo rods and string mechanism hidden beneath the water surface. The puppets are carved out of wood and very heavy. A traditional Vietnamese orchestra provides background music accompaniment. Singers of Cheo (a form of traditional opera) with origin in north Vietnam sing songs which tell the story being acted out by the puppets. The theme of the skits is rural and has a strong reference to Vietnamese folklore. It tells of day-to-day living in rural Vietnam and Vietnamese folk tales that are told by grandparents to their grandchildren. Stories of the harvest, of fishing and of festivals are highlighted. Legends and national history are also told through short skits. Many of the skits, especially those involving the tales of day-to-day living, often have a humorous twist."
Jil, how wonderful, i should love to see one of these shows! I am a huge fan of puppets in all shapes & forms. i had neer heard of water puppetry before!
Well this is simply the Best Thing Ever obviously! Thank you Zoe and team for putting an enormous smile on my face, setting my toes tapping and sending me to raid my (rather inadequate in comparison to a *certain* CV’s) ribbon drawer. Delighted to confirm that further adventures for M&B coming in September this year and more in 2017 too I hope. Also, how CLEVER of you to spot the uncanny likeness between Bambang and Joaquin Cortes- he *may* have been quite an essential literary muse…
OH I am SO pleased to hear that there are more adventures in story for Mango and Bambang – we shall look forward to them immensely
Such a glorious, joy-filled post! Thanks so much, yet again, Zoe.